Seth Godin blogs that in as much as all Santas look the same we should look to develop brands that works best when there is only one. People look to these types of brands, not when they want to debate about which is better, but when they know they have the only one, the right one. The post caught my eye because I had just listened to a podcast from This American Life which, coincidentally, described a nasty civil war that has recently broken out among a group called the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas (AORBS).
The story detailed the schism that ripped apart the fabric of the venerable organization purposed "to training Santas and enhancing their portrayal of Santa Claus".
Ironic perhaps, because even though the Santa "brand" is held up as the ideal for brand development because it is the only one of it, the AORB manifestation of the brand failed miserably to fulfill another concept of Seth Godin's: connecting the tribe.
The seeds of destruction of any organization lie within it.
Failure to connect and "tighten the tribe" can even take down a bullet proof brand like Santa.
What are you doing to connect the communities you lead?
If you lead a tribe of santas, it turns out you need more than a red suit and a real beard.
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